Globalisation: reduced to being 'human capital'

They are also labelled as human capital in the production of goods and services
in a labour market which is increasing becoming informal and women workers are
abused and discriminated against.
<p>&#147;Women in Malaysia are meeting the labour shortage and this term used
in the Ninth Malaysia Plan and the World Bank is incorrect. We are not &#145;human
capital&#146;. Women workers must be seen as people and not human capital in
globalisation,&#148; said Tenaganita director Irene Fernandez at the Committee
for Asian Women (CAW) regional conference.</p>
<p>CAW chairwoman Jurgette Honculada said that under globalisation, women have
filled the labour shortages but working conditions have not improved.</p>
<p>Unregulated labour market and bad working conditions</p>
<p>&#147;Over the last two decades, the highest number of women have entered the
labour market but working conditions and wages still have not improved.&#148;</p>
<p>She said that because of globalization and mass migration (especially undocumented
migrants), the Asian labour market was becoming unregulated by law and society.</p>
<p>This has made it difficult for women workers to unionise and as a result were
paid below minimum wage with dangerous and discriminatory working conditions,
said Jurgette during a press conference today.</p>
<p>&#147;The labour market is increasingly becoming informal, where women workers
are lowest paid and labour standards are not followed,&#148; she said.</p>
<p>&#147;The bias is most evident when women are retrenched first. Women also
work as home-based workers, street vendors, domestic workers, waste recyclers,
migrant workers and sex workers.&#148;</p>
<p><b>Workers rights weak and protection lacking</b></p>
<p>Jurgette said labour movements suffer from a loss of membership due to a growing
informal labour market and was a threat to workers rights and also had weakened
their bargaining power with employers.</p>
<p>&#147;The labour movement is not strong enough to fight against the ongoing
challenges or find alternative ways to organize the large labour force of women
workers.&#148;</p>
<p>She also took to task &#147;conservative trade unions&#148; and the male dominance
and undemocratic practices within the membership. She said such practices have
weakened the labour movement&#146;s capacity to deal with the impact of globalisation.</p>
<p>CAW is a network of 39 women workers group from 14 Asian countries that aims
to promote workers&#146; human and labour rights.</p>
<p>They are calling Asian governments to:</p>
<p> * Stop selling away women&#146;s rights by engaging with free trade agreements
that cause serious impacts on people&#146;s livelihood;</p>
<p> * Stop deregulating labour legislations which lead to further loss of protection
for workers;</p>
<p> * Recognise informal economy workers as workers and regulate labour laws to
ensure their rights are fully protected;</p>
<p> * Respect the principle of people&#146;s democracy and human rights that ensure
worker rights are not being eroded, such as the freedom of association and assembly;</p>
<p> * Respect the rights of migrant workers and ensure their rights to freedom
of association and assembly are not curtailed;</p>
<p> * Ensure peace and safety for all citizens and non-citizens, especially workers
in the country;</p>
<p> * Not engage in discriminatory practices against certain sections of society,
especially women, the poor and minorities.